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The Stars Are Nameless
This is the eighth episode of Vale, season 6. Written by Rainy. Read, enjoy, & comment! '' '' ''The Stars Are Nameless'' It was terrible timing. Ryan actually couldn't believe it. One moment, he was leaning against Wolf as the two of them stumbled towards the exit -- or rather, Wolf was dragging him along as he tried to walk backwards, searching for Breezeflight, who had disappeared into the dens lining the walls of the well. Unbelievable. In all the moments, the hours, he'd spent missing her, he'd never dreamed it could get this bad. He was half-delirious, head still pounding from whatever had gone wrong with his health, but she was all he could focus on. She'd finally said it, finally said she loved him, and yet a few minutes later he still found himself without her by his side. At least he got to hear her say it. She had some timing. Because seconds later, the world blew apart. Wolf let out a guttural yell of horror. "What is that?" "Ryan! Ryan!" Fire leaped down from a rock ledge and nearly cannoned into the two toms, frantically shaking Ryan. "We have to get out of here! It's us! It's because of us!" "What?" Ryan tried to focus on her face, but his sight was growing blurry. At first, he thought he was about to pass out again. But this was different -- it was a familiar feeling, a tugging sensation in his belly threatening to pull him out of space and time. It was his power. Only a vision was the last thing he needed right now; he had to focus on reality. But he couldn't stop it. The world around him was fading, replaced by an alternate one -- no, the future. Ryan was no longer standing by Wolf; he was in the middle of the camp, and another cat was lying sprawled before him. He knew before their eyes connected who it was. Breezeflight. And behind her, the monster that had just burst into the camp back in the present. The snake was enormous, its eyes unnaturally golden, its tongue black as night. It struck Breezeflight. Ryan couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't even blink. The dagger-like fangs sank straight into Breezeflight's throat. Her body seized up, then crumpled as the snake withdrew... ... and it struck him. He was on the ground, and all he knew of existence was pain. Wait. Amazing. At least he knew for sure this was a vision, because suddenly there was a snotty, smug little voice in his head going, Aren't snake bites all about venom being injected into the victim? This bite -- and Ryan was no expert on snakebites, seeing as he'd never experienced one before -- felt like the opposite, like his veins were being sucked dry... but that made no sense, maybe he was just so out of his mind from the agony that-- "RYAN!" Fire's paw colliding with his face knocked him abruptly back to the present. He staggered into Wolf, his mind reeling as he tried to figure out the why of the horrible scene he'd just foreseen. "Ryan, listen to me. We have to get Brightpaw and get out of here." Fire started dragging him behind her. "Breezeflight," he managed. "She'll be okay. She has to help everyone else. You'll see her soon, okay?" the ginger she-cat said with surprising gentleness. "No! It's not just us, it's her too." "What?" "I had... a vision. Viperstar needs her too, for what I don't know, but he's going to send the snake after her." Horror filled Fire's face. "I'm going to get her." "Don't." Wolf held Fire back. "You're too late." Ryan followed his gaze and saw her then. Breezeflight, being dragged by Viperstar. "Ryan, wait--" Fire began, but he'd already torn away. "Let go of her!" He crashed into Viperstar hard enough to make his head spin. Behind him, he could hear the sound of screaming. His heartbeat stuttered. How many hadn't made it out of the cavern before the snake appeared? Breezeflight struggled out of Viperstar's grip. She was bruised and bleeding from several scratches. The skin above her right eye was slightly swollen and puffy, giving her face a lopsided look. But she was breathing, alive, beside him. Ryan had never seen anything so beautiful. "We've got to go." Blinking out of his reverie, he said, "Well, yeah, that's kind of obvious. Come on, get to the tunnel--" "Not the tunnels." Breezeflight shook her head. There was a slightly manic gleam in her green eyes. Uh oh. I know that look. Without bothering to hide the suspicion in his voice, he said, "What do you have planned?" "A trick I learned from Viperstar himself." "Speaking of Viperstar, where did he go?" Ryan glanced around, frowning. The snake had its back to them and was trying to fit its massive head into the main exit. He shuddered, sending up a desperate prayer that everyone trying to escape made it out before those venomous fangs got near them. Breezeflight, however, would not be deterred or distracted by anything. "We've got to climb the walls. Get to the top of the well." "How many cats do you need for this plan?" Fire appeared at Breezeflight's side, Wolf and Brightpaw right behind her. Ryan saw the torn look on Breezeflight's face, the way she dreaded putting them in danger. "I'm going to need you," she said to Brightpaw. "Of course. Anything," Brightpaw promised, touching her nose to her mentor's. "But only what I say to do," warned Breezeflight. "Don't do anything stupid. If you get yourself killed, you're going to be changing out the elders' bedding until... until--" "I die?" smirked Brightpaw, a trace of her mischievous personality returning. "Don't you have any faith in me? I've been doing stupid stuff since I was a kit, and I haven't died yet." "Oh, that's it. Brightpaw and Breezeflight, plus a tom who can barely stand on his four paws? I'm definitely coming with you guys," said Fire. "I can stand," protested Ryan, though he was secretly glad to hear the ginger she-cat's words. Breezeflight had a knack for getting herself in the worst possible situations, and he didn't know if he was strong enough to protect her. Heaving a sigh, Wolf said unexpectedly, "I guess I'm in." "You don't even know us," said Breezeflight bluntly, giving him a confused look. "I mean, not really." "Well, we were cellmates, even if just for one night. I figure we should make it out of here together," the tom said with a slight smile. Then his expression dropped. "Besides, I already sold out my Tribe once, giving Viperstar our part of the Prophecy. I can never erase my mistakes, but I can maybe try to be someone I can be proud of again." Breezeflight hesitated a second, then nodded. "Well. Now that we've wasted all that time, let's go. Oh, and don't forget to check all the dens as we climb up. Make sure there aren't any GreenClan cats left in here." "Wait, you still haven't told us what the actual plan is," pointed out Fire. Grimly, Breezeflight said, "I'd rather not give false hope. It might not work. I'll tell you when we get up there." "I love staking my life on whims," sighed Fire. "Welcome to our world," Ryan said to Wolf. The gray tom gave him a pained smile and sprang onto the first ledge above their heads, Fire and Brightpaw on his heels. Before Ryan could follow, he felt a warmth on his shoulder. Breezeflight pulled him close. All traces of her cold, military commander personality had fallen away. Her voice was low and full of concern. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't have to do this." "Of course I do. And I'm fine. For a cat who isn't my mother, you worry too much." "For a cat who's fine, you were unconscious for a really long time," she retorted. "Pfft. Who's wasting time now?" Ryan would never admit it in a million years, but by the time they neared the top of the cavern, he was sincerely out of breath. While the others stopped to confer, he gulped in air and tried to make his heartbeat stop assuming the tempo of a hummingbird's wings. "... through solid earth. Have you ever tried it?" Breezeflight looked intently at Brightpaw. "There's one way to find out," said Brightpaw seriously. "Wait, hold on. What? You're not really going to..." Ryan glanced around. "What'll happen if she doesn't make it?" He winced, realizing he'd phrased the question all wrong. Brightpaw clearly didn't miss the second meaning in his words, but she played it off lightly. "Then I suppose I'll just bounce off the roof and knock you guys over," she shrugged. Ryan had never seen shadowhopping up close. He watched as anxiously as the others as the apprentice glanced up, shut her eyes, and... disappeared. From above their heads came a tapping sound. The group let out a collective sigh of relief. "She made it. She's up there," said Breezeflight, burying her face in Ryan's neck. "What's the rest of the plan? What do we do now?" Fire questioned. Breezeflight's eyes darkened. "Stall." "What?" "Brightpaw has to get the Life-Rock from Dewstar. Do you remember how Oakstar defeated Claron? I'm going to use the Life-Rock to defeat the snake." "Hold on. You're crazy if you think we're letting you do it on your own," Ryan jumped in immediately. Brushing him off, Breezeflight said, "None of that will matter if we don't keep the snake in here. It's trying to break into the tunnels, and if it gets aboveground, we're never going to be able to kill it." "So what? Block off the tunnel? Half the snake's nose is already crammed in there," said Wolf. "I never said it was going to be easy," said Breezeflight. "We're going to have to get creative." - - - - "Brightpaw? Brightpaw, wake up. Wake up!" Brightpaw came to with a start, smashing her forehead into something hard -- another cat's forehead, she realized. Her eyes opened and connected with another pair, dark olive ones. The cat who was simultaneously the last and first she wanted to see. "Gorsepaw," she breathed. "You're okay. What happened?" "I shadowhopped through a wall of dirt," she said, getting to her paws. She lurched and almost fell; Gorsepaw was instantly by her side, and she had no choice but to lean on him. "First time I've tried to go directly through a dense solid object." He let out a low whistle. "And you chose now to do it?" "I don't have time to do this. I have to find Dewstar. I need--" She broke off abruptly. He interpreted her hesitation correctly. "You don't trust me. But I'm here to help you. I promise." "Promises don't save the world. You have to act." "So let's go. I'll take you to Dewstar. They've set up a triage and refugee camp just downwind." "Is it far?" she mumbled. "I'm not leaving your side. Lean on me." "No." In a split second, she decided. "I trust you. You need to run ahead. Get the Life-Rock from Dewstar. Tell him that Breezeflight has a plan. And bring it back to me." "You're going to shadowhop back into the cavern with it," he realized, "even if it kills you." "Sacrifice helps save the world too," she murmured. "Oh, Brightpaw, I'm so sorry." "I know. But I also know you were working with Seabreeze to save your Clan, so you wouldn't lose them like you lost Duckpaw. You were trying to save the world too. It's just our worlds are different." "No. Not anymore. You are my world. I wish--" His voice broke. He looked pathetic, forlorn. "I wish I could save you." He touched his nose to hers, and for one beautiful second, he was everything: solace, warmth, home. In the small space between them, into the puff of his breath and the loveliness of his closeness, she whispered, "I love you." He cast her one last look that told her her words were more than he'd ever hoped, and then he struck out for Dewstar. Brightpaw sank to the ground as she watched him turn into nothing more than a distant dot on the horizon. She needed to rest if she wanted to shadowhop back to the others with the Life-Rock, and so she succumbed to the darkness clouding the edges of her sight and let her eyelids slam shut. - - - - Wolf perched at the edge of the ledge and looked down with an almost fond look. "What?" I asked, a bit unnerved. "Nothing. Just saying hello to my sweet mistress Death." "You're not going to die," said Fire, rolling her eyes. "No? Sorry, is there something inherently safe about the nature of baiting an enormous snake that I'm forgetting?" "No, but there's something inherently safe about being with me. ''I won't let you get eaten," she promised. "That's reassuring," he muttered mutinously. I was still panting from my run around the cavern. "Why did you keep us, the cats that Viperstar wants the snake to attack more than anyone else, in here?" Ryan questioned. "Because that guarantees he's in here too, not out there attacking our friends." "Oh." Together, we watched Fire and Wolf bound down the sides of the cavern. "What if he realizes we're minus one and figures out our plan?" "There's no way. Even if he realizes Brightpaw is gone, he won't take the chance of losing us while he goes to find her. He'll try to finish us off first." "Are you sure he wants to finish us off?" Ryan asked abruptly. "What do you mean? What else would the giant snake be for?" "This is going to sound strange. But I had a vision where... where the snake attacked you and me. And it didn't feel like being injected with venom. It felt like... like the snake was ''drawing my blood. Like it was sucking my veins." I stared at him, speechless. "It sounds more than strange. It sounds insane." "Hasn't everything so far been insane?" "Why would... What purpose would our blood serve?" "I don't know," said Ryan nervously. "I like to think my blood is just fine inside my body." "A catalyst." "What?" "That's got to be it. It's some sort of catalyst." "Even if you're right, that brings up more questions. What are the reactants, and what's the end product?" I paused. "What if you three -- you, Fire, and Brightpaw -- are the reactants, and I'm the catalyst? Maybe that's why I matter." "You're the last warrior," Ryan said, nodding. "The last thing Viperstar needs to... do whatever he freaking plans to do with that snake." A horrible idea popped into my mind. Before I could decide whether to speak it aloud, a yell distracted me. "Sounds like they need help." "So I'll go help them," I said. "You stay here." "Yeah, right." We'd barely descended a tail-length when Fire emerged, supporting Wolf. "Are you okay? What happened?" I rushed to the tom's other side and helped Fire lay him down close to the wall. "He wasn't bit. The snake's tail caught him, slammed him against the wall." One side of Wolf's face was a bloody mess. He gave us a disquieting smile, spitting a gob of red out of his mouth and running his tongue over his teeth. "Nothing broken. All peachy." "Stop kidding. This isn't funny. You're a mess," said Fire, looking angry with herself. "Don't let her pretend it was her fault," said Wolf, his face taking on a more serious expression. "If I hadn't pushed you and knocked you over--" "That snake would've sunk its fangs into me, and I'd be dead. Better the tail than the head, in this case," the gray tom interrupted firmly. I nudged Fire, touching my muzzle to her ear. "He's going to be okay, and it isn't your fault. Okay?" "Okay," she muttered. "Do you know," said Wolf, who'd evidently been following his own thoughts and seemed unaware of the randomness of his interjection, "what my sister would say if she were here?" "No. None of us have ever met your sister," I said. "I would introduce you, but Snow Mountain is quite a journey." "None of us have ever been," I said quietly. "Maybe we'd do well to learn about others in our vale." He gave me a curious look. "I'm not sure many other Clan cats share that viewpoint." "Well," said Fire, "I think it's a good idea, too, though I'm not a Clan cat." "You could be," I said quickly. "Why, because my friend's the future deputy?" she asked cynically. I knew my face betrayed my hurt from the apology that instantly shone in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so cold. It's just that I don't belong the way you do." Wolf's eyes danced between us, a thoughtful expression on his face. Then he blinked and it was gone, replaced with a boisterous smirk. "Do you want to know what my sister would say or not?" Without waiting for a response, he said, "She would tell us that the stars are nameless." "The whatnow?" asked Ryan, none too politely. "It's part of an old Tribe story. When you pass on, before you can walk the skies, you must choose a star and name it." "We just have StarClan," I mused. "So what does the expression mean?" "Basically, it means that there are countless, glowing lights to be discovered. Countless opportunities, countless ways to leave your name out there." "A chance to be a legend," I said with a smile, glancing at Ryan. "Yes, exactly. My sister -- her name is Dove's Cry, because she's exactly the opposite of me -- loved to look up at the night sky and ask me what I would name the stars. Things like Hope, Courage, Valor, but also Laughter, Sunsets, and Love. It made her happy; we'd go a ways up the mountain whenever we could and just stargaze." "She sounds lovely. I'd love to meet her someday," I said. Wolf smiled, a real smile this time, not that wolfish grin. Fire reached out and wiped his muzzle with his paw. "Sorry. You had a spot of blood..." I glanced at the ginger she-cat. Her eyes were soft, and I wondered if Wolf's talk had reminded her of her own sister... or if-- Brightpaw materialized right in front of us, stumbled into Ryan, and dropped a small violet stone at my paws with a thunk. Forgetting his injuries, Wolf got to his paws. "That's ''the Life-Rock? It's not very impressive." "Believe me, I know," I said. "But it's our best chance." "Well then, what are we waiting for?" Wolf nudged Fire and flashed Ryan and I his signature grin. "Let's go be legends. Let's name some of our stars." ''The End Category:Vale